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The Horrors of Hidden Replies on Twitter

When was the last time your curiosity got the best of you and you ended up clicking the hidden replies tab on Twitter? It is truly one of the most disturbing sections on the internet only second to Reddit (Let’s not open that can of worms for now) The microblogging platform is known to host some of the most vile speaking personalities that need to be censored. Twitter’s response to hate speech and disturbing videos getting posted in the comment section of a tweet was the ‘Hide Reply’ feature which allowed the user to hide replies and diffuse the conversation simply. However, the hidden replies tab is posted right under a tweet which grabs the attention of curious users like me and at times ends up spoiling our day.

Animal abuse, grotesque killings, extreme sex videos, and racial slurs are some of the few things that a user can find under the hidden replies tab. What’s to be noted here is that Twitter was never this nasty before it was under Elon Musk’s leadership. Many users like me were accustomed to it being a platform for users to consume and participate in conversations surrounding breaking news, politics, celebrity discourse, and much more. In the current scenario, Twitter has become a mere shadow of what it used to be and is transforming into a dystopian wasteland.

The prominent reason for the influx of cringeworthy content doing the rounds on Twitter can be blamed on Elon’s infamous decision to unban thousands of accounts that were previously banned. Musk wished to become a champion of free speech with his reign on Twitter which quickly backfired in the form of horrible content making its way to the platform. As of now, there has been no official statement on whether Twitter will be launching a crackdown on this epidemic.

The notoriousness of hidden replies has grown to the point that a hero has risen from the filth – Hidden Replies Checker!!! – Yes, that’s the username of an account that checks the hidden replies for you and gives you a detailed description of what’s going on in the hidden replies section of any specific tweet. Spoiler Alert: almost all of the responses from the account start with a trigger warning which can paint the picture of how bad the situation right now is.

I’ve been a Twitter user for nearly a decade and this undoubtedly is the darkest phase of the platform I’ve witnessed. Twitter seems to have lost its charm under the weight of loathsome content which needs to be refined under strict guidelines. The next time you feel like clicking on the hidden replies section, make sure you’re ready to stomach some horrible things.

High Time: Twitter becomes the first social media platform to promote cannabis ads

Twitter has now become the first social media platform ever to allow cannabis businesses to advertise their products and brands in the US. Twitter previously allowed CBD-based hemp products to be advertised on their platform and has now lifted the restriction to allow THC products. On the other hand, Facebook, Instagram, and most mainstream social media platforms all have a strict ‘No Cannabis Advertising Policy’ as marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. Twitter recently released a statement where it announced the relaxation of cannabis advertisements. Check out excerpts from the statement below –

Twitter relaxes Cannabis ad restrictions

“Twitter is the place where moments matter and where trends are born. It has been at the root of some of the most powerful grassroots movements, many of which have started with a single Tweet.

As the cannabis industry has expanded, so too has the conversation on Twitter. In the US – one of the most influential markets for cannabis – it is larger than the conversation around topics such as pets, cooking, and golf, as well as food and beverage categories including fast food, coffee, and liquor.

The cannabis space on Twitter is fun and engaging with users Tweeting about their experiences using cannabis – whether medicinally, for wellness, or recreation – as well as recommending brands, products, and retail locations. The conversation also reflects where the cannabis industry is currently heading: legislative/policy reform, business development, and community impact.

As of today, in certain US states we have taken measures to relax our Cannabis Ads policy to create more opportunities for responsible cannabis marketing – the largest step forward by any social media platform.”

What is the new policy?

While Twitter has allowed cannabis businesses to advertise on their platform, it does come with a number of strict rules. A cannabis business needs to have appropriate licenses and go through Twitter’s approval process. Also, a business can only target the regions which they have operating licenses for and cannot target anyone under the age of 21. On the other hand, businesses and brands are also prohibited from using any public figure, icon, celebrity, or athlete that could appeal to children. The advertisements cannot feature pregnant women or children and false claims about the health benefits of cannabis products are also prohibited.

Twitter Blue launched in India: Here’s everything you need to know

After months of anticipation and doubts about whether Twitter Blue will make its way to India, the premium membership service has finally landed. The controversial Twitter Blue subscription is now available in India where users can now access the company’s paid services by paying ₹650 per month for the website-exclusive platform, and ₹900 for iOS and Android users. Twitter was always known to be a microblogging platform but has been changing its course to becoming a full-fledged social media platform even offering ad revenues under Elon Musk’s leadership. So what is all the hype about? What does Twitter Blue offer to users who will shell out ₹900 per month? Check it out below –

Longer Tweets

A major appeal of Twitter revolved around users having a character limit of 280. However, with the Twitter Blue subscription, users can now send tweets up to 4,000 characters long. This feature also extends to quote tweets and replies. Users can also include media in their longer posts. Arguments on Twitter are undoubtedly going to turn spicy!

Fewer Advertisements

If someone is shelling out ₹900 for a Twitter Blue subscription then the least they can expect is a completely ad-free experience. However, that is not the case with Twitter Blue as they will see fewer ads than the people using the standard version. Under Musk’s Twitter leadership, ads have begun to show up under the replies section which is annoying, to say the least. But now you can pay nearly 1K every month to not see them.

Post Longer Videos

Earlier, users could only post videos up to 140 seconds on Twitter but with Twitter Blue, they can share videos up to 60 minutes. The option to post longer videos has been introduced in order to help content creators and live bloggers monetize their videos on Twitter. An interesting use of this new feature I witnessed on Twitter was users posting full-length movies broken down into two or more parts. I guess we’re watching films on Twitter now?

The verified checkmark

The predominant attraction of the Twitter Blue subscription is users getting the verified checkmark. Though I do not understand the appeal of the checkmark as clicking on it on a user’s profile reveals that it only exists cause the user has subscribed to Twitter Blue. If Twitter wouldn’t be snitching on users for basically buying the checkmark then it would’ve been a different ball game altogether. Besides the Blue tick, users also get access to features like editing tweets, bookmark folders, custom app icons, and NFT profile images.

Living the Cyborg LIfe

Is blood glucose monitoring the newest craze among athletes? Customers can purchase intrusive sensors from Ultrahuman to be implanted into their arms, where they will use a smart app to continuously check their blood glucose levels. The ultimate result is real-time advice on how to improve one’s lifestyle, together with a vast ecosystem of knowledge relating to metabolic health. After testing the Ultrahuman M1 for two weeks, we’d like to talk about how our lives have changed.

Ultrahuman uses Abbott’s Freestyle Libre 2, which has been on the market since 2019, as its glucose sensor. Additionally, many diabetics use it to keep an eye on their blood glucose levels. There is nothing to worry about because the technology is tried and true, right? However, I find it unsettling to imagine a thin, flexible filament in my skin.

It goes without saying that I had mixed emotions before to the cyborg experiment, especially since I had already looked at too many images of the sensor. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if that’s fortunate or not.

So I worked up the confidence to insert the chip into my arm after putting the sensor in the applicator. Just how did I feel? Absolutely nothing! I was a little concerned about the needle being trapped somewhere during the first two days, especially at night. But in daily life, neither when exercising nor while sleeping, I was unaware of the 0.4-millimetre thin filament in my skin. I only ever got caught on the couch once, giving me a brief feeling of being bitten by an insect. Overall, my fears were unjustified, and Ultrahuman also provides strong plasters to protect the sensor.

By tapping my new sticker with the phone, the sensor and app were first paired. The app cautioned me that the readings could be erroneous for the first 24 hours, but it held me in suspense for another two hours while waiting for the sensor to be fully calibrated. I encountered zero connectivity issues with the sensor and smartphone throughout the review period.

Using a chocolate bar in between meals to circumvent the calorie counter app is more difficult with Ultrahuman. Any food with a significant amount of sugar, even a few grapes or two figs, will cause the Ultrahuman app to send a push notification: “Your blood sugar is currently increasing. What did you consume?”

Now, the software assigns a score to each food item depending on how it affects blood sugar levels. The software uses your personal top lists of the greatest and worst foods to create the best food lists for you. The intriguing aspect of this is how various foods cause varied reactions in various bodies. For one person, what is healthy may induce blood sugar spikes and crashes in another.

Score and Metabolic Vectors

The Ultrahuman app assigns a score between 1 and 100 to each day based on measured data, tracked activities, and diet. Of course, the crucial factor in this situation is the percentage of the day that you spend within the desirable blood glucose range of 70 to 110 mg/dL. However, it’s also crucial to prevent peaks and valleys in the level; a smooth uphill and downward gradient is optimal.

How can this be done? The software continuously explains everything while in use and offers fresh suggestions. For instance, if there is a surge, the app suggests taking a walk after eating or taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar first.

The programme also contains metabolic vectors in addition to the daily score. This depiction of your performance in the three categories of focus, longevity, and athleticism. The less your blood sugar fluctuates, the more focused you are. Your longevity increases with the number of peaks and the amount of time your blood sugar is at its ideal level. And it’s obvious that consistent exercise and healthy blood sugar levels are beneficial for your athletic score.

Additionally, you’ll receive an estimate of your daily HbA1c level, which can help determine if you have diabetes, prediabetes, or neither. The app provides daily tests as well as long-term averages and a summary of your metabolic fitness.

Conclusion

Two weeks spent living as a cyborg

The sensor stopped functioning as expected and stopped producing results exactly two weeks later. I feel like I’ve been robbed of a sense since this shelf life is restricted for hygiene reasons. My body served as a laboratory for two weeks, and the results motivated me more than wearing any other fitness tracker before to be disciplined about exercise and especially food.

I consider the Ultrahuman M1 to be one of the most exciting technological advancements of the last 15 years, and I’m really interested in how blood glucose monitors will become more widely used and advance our understanding of nutrition and fitness in the next years. The utility of fitness wearables will advance dramatically at the latest when blood glucose testing operates with adequate optical precision and hence becomes slightly more accessible to the general public.

Twitter rolling out grey tick marks for government accounts

Twitter has seen a number of changes ever since Elon Musk bought the micro-blogging platform for an exorbitant price ($44 Billion to be precise) After shelling out a fortune for Twitter, it was expected that Musk would bring about massive changes to the platform which started off with his promise of ‘Freedom of Speech’ which quickly turned sour as accounts criticising Musk and many journalists started losing their accounts left and right. Then came the Twitter Blue debacle where verified accounts were offered to users at a price of $8 per month. However, the subscription model was then rolled back and is still awaiting a relaunch. Until then, Twitter is figuring out ways to differentiate between legacy verified accounts and Twitter Blue subscribers. The solution? color-coded verified ticks!

Grey tick mark for government accounts on Twitter

Twitter has begun rolling out a grey tick verification mark for government accounts. Whereas, accounts affiliated with businesses have already received a golden tick mark. This new deployment of the grey tick mark has already been deployed for the honourable PM of India’s Twitter account.

It was back on December 12 when Twitter announced it would be changing the ‘official’ label on business accounts with a golden checkmark. While it also announced that grey checkmarks would be added to government and multilateral accounts, it was applied till now. PM Modi seems to be one of the first political figures around the world to receive the grey checkmark on Twitter.

This is one way to curb the increase in impersonation of popular people on Twitter. It was only a few weeks back when Twitter Blue launched a slew of accounts impersonating Elon Musk himself flooded Twitter, talk about a backfire! However, with drastic changes coming to Twitter, it will be interesting how the social media platform transforms under Musk’s leadership.

Elon Musk asks Twitter users if he should resign as CEO

There hasn’t been a dull day on Twitter ever since Elon Musk took command of the platform. Only a few days back, Musk stepped on the stage with Dave Chappelle in San Francisco to get brutally booed by people in the audience. It looks like the public booing has brought about a change of heart for Elon who recently took to Twitter and started a poll asking people if he should quit the Twitter CEO position.

Elon Musk’s CEO resign poll

Elon Musk recently took to Twitter and started a poll asking if he should step down as the head of Twitter. If the results are to be believed, it looks like Musk will be quitting the CEO position soon. He’s promised to abide by the results of the poll and so far there have been over 3.8 million people have voted in the poll, with the majority in favour of him resigning as the CEO of Twitter. Talk about digging your own grave!

It looks like Musk has now accepted the fate of having to step down as the Twitter CEO as he followed up the poll by tweeting ‘As the saying goes, be careful what you wish, as you might get it’

However, his stepping down as Twitter CEO could be a relief for Musk as he is currently the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter. A little decluttering never hurt anyone! Elon does need to divert his attention to Tesla as the company’s stock has plunged 62.55 per cent over the last year, upsetting a number of Tesla shareholders.

It was only yesterday when Elon was spotted in Qatar watching the FIFA world cup final between France and Argentina with Jared Kushner, who is the son-in-law of Donald Trump. It was only back in October when it was revealed that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal from Saudi Arabia and his investment firm was the second-largest investor of Twitter. This has brought about another backlash towards Musk who was already under public scrutiny. In the short time Elon took over Twitter, there has been the Twitter blue controversy, massive lay-offs, suspension of journalists from the platform, the Apple controversy, and much more! It will be interesting to see how things pan out once Elon has stepped down from the CEO position of Twitter, or will he?

Twitter offices shut down as hundreds of employees resign

What started as one of the most interesting developments in the world of social media has quickly evolved into a dumpster fire! It was only yesterday when we reported that Elon Musk issued an ultimatum to Twitter employees to either commit long hours at high intensity to the company or leave. Employees were asked to sign a pledge by 5 PM ET on Thursday and anyone who did not do so would reportedly receive three months of severance pay. It looks like the majority of Twitter employees have decided to walk away from the company. Following the mass resignation, Twitter has now shut down their office buildings and disabled employee badge access until Monday.

Doors shut on Twitter!

The new ‘hardcore’ approach to Twitter was called ‘Twitter 2.0’ by Elon Musk. However, The Verge has reported that one departing employee of the company wrote that their watch ends with Twitter 1.0 and they do not want to be a part of Twitter 2.0. Twitter reportedly had 2,900 employees before the deadline on Thursday and the number has gone down marginally now. The remaining and departing employees reportedly expect the platform to start breaking soon. One Twitter staffer told The Verge that all the people who made Twitter incredible are leaving and it will be extremely difficult for Twitter to recover from here, no matter how ‘hardcore’ the people who remain try to be.

To add insult to injury, Twitter boss Elon Musk as of now can be seen sharing memes about the platform going up in flames. Check it out below –

As per reports, multiple critical engineering teams inside Twitter have either completely or near-completely resigned. Musk’s Twitter takeover was surely a developing story with new details popping up every day. It was only a few days back when Musk was seen publically firing employees criticizing him on the platform for his lack of management. Twitter users, on the other hand, seem to have accepted the fate that the lights will be shutting down on the platform as soon as tonight. However, Musk also tweeted that the platform has hit an all-time high in usage. Could this be the final straw in Twitter’s history before it shuts down? We’ll see!

Elon Musk tells Twitter staff to commit long hours or leave the company

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter has fueled an avalanche of headlines in the past few weeks. It was only a few days back when Musk had warned his Twitter staff that bankruptcy is not off the cards for the company in a mail meant for internal circulation. Remote work was also revoked from almost all employees along with free meals. Now, it looks like the Twitter team is gearing up to either work long hours or leave the company following an ultimatum from Musk himself.

Work ‘long hours at high intensity or leave’ says Musk

Twitter boss Elon told his employees in an email that they’ll have to decide whether they want to stay in the company and work long hours at high intensity or get axed! The ultimatum comes after Musk fired half of Twitter’s workforce and most of the company’s senior executives leaving the company. The email meant for Twitter’s internal distribution was obtained by The Washington Post. Check out the entire email below –

” A Fork in the Road

Going forward, to build a breakthrough Twitter 2.0 and succeed in an increasingly competitive world, we will need to be extremely hardcore. This will mean working long hours at high intensity. Only exceptional performance will constitute a passing grade.

Twitter will also be much more engineering-driven. Design and product management will still be very important and report to me, but those writing great code will constitute the majority of our team and have the greatest sway. At its heart, Twitter is a software and servers company, so it makes sense.

If you are sure that you want to be a part of the new Twitter, please click yes on the link below:

forms.gle

Anyone who has not done so by 5pm ET tomorrow (Thursday) will receive three months of severance.

Whatever decision you make, thank you for your efforts to make Twitter successful.

Elon”

Elon Musk rehires Ligma and Johnson, two pranksters who never worked at Twitter

If you were around the internet when Twitter announced mass layoffs then I am sure you are aware of the pranksters Ligma and Johnson. Two pranksters fooled the mainstream media by simply walking out of the Twitter headquarters with cardboard boxes in their hands posing as Twitter employees who were brutally laid off. Without realizing it’s a prank, various media portals in the states reported that ‘Ligma’ and ‘Johnson’ were laid off from Twitter without realizing it was just a ‘Ligma Balls’ joke. It’s not like mainstream media journalists are aware of the ever-evolving meme lore on the internet and these pranksters took the opportunity where they could find it. Now, it looks like Elon Musk has welcomed Rahul Ligma and Johnson back to the Twitter headquarters and rehired them.

Ligma and Johnson rehired

Twitter’s new boss Elon Musk recently rehired two popular pranksters – Daniel Johnson and Rahul Ligma while facing massive backlash amid mass layoffs in the company. While sharing the update on Twitter, Musk wrote ‘Welcoming back Ligma & Johnson!’ The billionaire also added that its ‘Important to admit when I’m wrong & firing them was truly one of my biggest mistakes’. Check out the tweet below –

Back then, the duo was successful in making fools out of the majority of the US media circle at a time when news about Elon Musk axing the Twitter workforce was a trending topic. Musk was quick to react to the whole prank by tweeting ‘Ligma johnson has it coming’. He later also regarded the whole prank as ‘One of the best trolls ever’. Whereas, Rahul Ligma has continued his streak of pranks as he recently said that he worked for Web 2.0 and FTX – the two tech companies have also laid off thousands of staff in recent times. However, according to recent reports, Ligma has not worked in any of those companies.

it looks like Musk is resorting to humor in order to hit back at the criticism of his laying off employees from the company. The Twitter boss is facing a lot of backlash online for firing employees who publically criticize him. Some of the Twitter employees have come forward revealing that they were fired from the company via an email that said their ‘behavior has violated company policy’. With massive layoffs and dipping revenue, it will be interesting to see how Elon Musk steers the Twitter ship!

Tech This Week – November 12, 2022

This was one of the most interesting weeks in the tech world with major headlines breaking almost every day! And of course, we’re here to bring them to you in a nice little package in the form of ‘Tech This Week’ From layoffs to new launches, we’ve got you covered!

Major layoffs in the tech industry

This week saw major tech industries laying off their employees. While Twitter laid off half of its workforce, which included 90% of its Indian workforce, Facebook-parent Meta let off 11,000 of its employees. This was one of the largest layoffs ever witnessed in the tech industry. Whereas, major tech players like Microsoft and Amazon are also reported to fire a chunk of their workforce.

MediaTek Dimensity 9200 launched

After a month of rumours, MediaTek has finally launched a new chipset for flagship smartphones – the Dimensity 9200. The latest flagship chipset is based on the TSMC N4P node and is the first SoC with ARM’s Gen 2 architecture with new cores. The newly launched chipset promised to offer better performance as compared to its predecessor, Dimensity 9000.

Realme Dizo launched

Another affordable smartwatch is on its way, this time from Realme’s TechLife brand Dizo. The company officially launched the Dizo Watch D Plus in India, which will be available on the e-commerce platform Flipkart from November 15th. The new wearable from the house of Chinese electronics maker Realme comes with a big immersive display, an aluminium frame and offers the most reliable tracking of health and fitness.

RTX 4080 rebrand

Nvidia recently paused the launch of the 12GB RTX 4080 graphics card last month as it received a lot of backlash from fans over the naming and pricing. It is now being reported that the 4080 will be making its return to the market as the RTX 4070 Ti in Jan 2023. It will be interesting to see how fans react to this relaunch as they were vocal about their disappointment over the RTX 4080.

Volvo EX90 unveiled

Volvo recently unveiled the EX90 SUV that will go on sale globally in 2024. Volvo says it is the safest car ever produced and is banking on the car’s safety features to be its USP. This will mark Volvo’s third electric model promising a range of 600KMS. It supports bi-directional charging. It is also 5G-capable for over-the-air updates. One of the key features of the car is that its interior sensors can gauge eye concentration to warn about driving while being distracted or drowsy.

iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max shipments to take a hit

It was back in October when news about a COVID-19 outbreak in the world’s largest iPhone manufacturing plant hit the internet. A surge in COVID-19 cases at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou, China site lead to a complete lockdown at the factory as a measure to curb the spread. As a result, several factory workers were seen fleeing the facility citing poor working conditions and a lack of basic resources. News outlets around the world also focussed on individual stories where workers from the factory shared their experience of being under the strict lockdown and finally making their way to the world. Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant employs about 200,000 people and produces the maximum number of iPhones for Apple across the world. Thus it was expected that the production of iPhones will take a hit due to this outbreak. Apple this week confirmed that delays in the shipment of iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will indeed take a hit!

Oculus founder builds VR headset that kills you if you die in-game!

Palmer Luckey, one of the founders of Oculus has designed a new VR headset that can literally take your life if you die in-game! Technology and dystopia go hand-in-hand and with this new development, humanity has gotten a little bit if not too close to the sci-fi show ‘Black Mirror’ The VR headset draws inspiration from the Sword Academy Online Anime! However, it is not a product that will be making its way to the market anytime.

Crypto market’s big fall

The crypto market recently witnessed a big drop with the entire market’s cap now sitting below $1 trillion, at $914 billion. Binance’s proposed purchase of FTX is likely the reason behind this volatile market move. As of now, Ethereum witnessed a 17% drop and Bitcoin is fairing a little better with a 10% fall.